Thank you TheToasterMarketingBoard for editing during these dark times! Happy June Ya'll!
Korra, Ikki, and Jinora stayed where they were in the courtyard long after Bumi and Meelo had left. At some point, Jinora had crept into the wheelchair and onto Korra's lap with Ikki. Korra's legs were starting to fall asleep from the two girl's body weight, but she was afraid to disturb them. They had been quiet for some time now.
The sound of soft footsteps caught Korra's attention, and she attempted to look over Jinora's head to see who was coming. It was Zhou Rhen. Korra had seen him lurking in the courtyard when she wheeled herself out after the commotion. He had kept his distance, until now. He gave a small wave as he arrived. Korra nodded back.
"Perhaps we should go inside, have some lunch? I don't think they will be back until this evening, if at all," Zhou Rhen offered, pressing his falling glasses up his narrow nose.
"What do you girls think?" Korra asked, giving the girls a squeeze. "We can talk about things, or not, over some food."
Ikki made a wet sniffling sound as she slid out of Korra's lap. She put her foot accidentally on Korra's broken leg. The Avatar did all she could to stifle a pain-filled groan. Jinora then got off her lap much more carefully. Then she grabbed Korra's wheelchair's handlebars and started pushing her to the main hall.
As the four traveled together, Ikki stopped and bent down. She picked up a small book. "Whose book is this?" she asked.
"Let me see." Zhou Rhen held out his hand. Ikki passed it over. "This looks old. Very old."
The girls continued towards the entrance as Zhou Rhen gave the book a closer examination. He looked up, unsure how long he had been reading, but by then they were out of sight.
Jinora parked Korra at the kitchen table, near where she and Pema had been folding steam buns earlier. The buns were now neatly plated and ready to be served.
"C'mon girls, let's have a little something to eat," Korra said, taking a bun off the big plate.
"I'm not hungry…" Jinora sighed.
"Me neither," Ikki added.
"I don't have much of an appetite myself, but it's important you stay fueled up. At least have one with me," Korra urged.
The girls obeyed and each snagged a bun. After a few nibbles, Zhou Rhen wandered into the kitchen.
"So, what exactly happened?" he asked the group.
Korra shot him a look, but it was too late; the topic had been brought up.
Jinora turned to her sister. "You saw, didn't you?"
Ikki put her half-eaten bun on the table in front of her, then dropped her face into her hands.
"It's okay Ikki, you don't have to say anything right now if you don't-" Korra started.
"He dropped Rohan."
"Like, Meelo picked him up and dropped him?" Jinora asked, mimicking the action with her food.
"Meelo was flying with him and... What if he dies? What if he's dead!?" Ikki wailed, scrunching her arms around her face and slumped down in her seat.
"Why was he flying with him…" Korra muttered to herself.
"I think I might know why," Zhou Rhen offered, pulling the small book found earlier from his pocket and placing it onto the table. "This is an old Fire Nation book on how to test if someone is an airbender. It must have been written during the one-hundred-year war."
Zhou Rhen opened the front cover and pointed down towards the bottom of the first page where there was a fire emblem and a date. "This was printed by the government during that period."
Jinora pulled the book closer to her. "It's probably my father's. He has a collection of old books, especially ones pertaining to airbending. A lot were Grandpa Aang's."
"Your brother could have been trying to utilize some of these techniques to induce Roahns's ability to airbend. Bending and the fight or flight instinct have been cited to be linked." Zhou Rhen flipped through the pages of the book still shared on the table. "This section here notes that if you want to confirm a known airbender's ability, putting them in a life or death situation is sure to get them to bend. The bending will be reactionary to attempt to save their life."
Ikki lifted her head off the table. "He didn't drop Rohan on purpose. He was just flying with him, showing off." She held out her arms like a bird to the group.
"When Rohan spread his arms like this, he slipped. He just fell so fast. Meelo tried!"
"Meelo wanted to get Rohan to airbend…" Korra murmured, then covered her mouth. Suddenly it felt like she had swallowed a brick and it was slowly pressing on her guts. "But Rohan…" Korra stopped herself.
Down in the basement of City Streets Productions' office, Bolin, Shey, Izzi, and Lan were taking a meeting. A few containers of takeout were strewn about the table mixed with paper and pens.
Lan moved her glasses to the top of her head and brought her notepad a little closer to her face. "So we have; looking for male, about eighteen to twenty-eight, some acting experience preferred, for a major role in a feature-length mover. Casting will be held Friday at City Streets Productions, at the Fushang Business Plaza."
"Should we give some kind of descriptors, like hair color or height?" Izzi asked.
"Shey, you said you'd know what kind of man you wanted if Bolin confirmed."
"As long as he is not more handsome than me," Bolin said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Lan giggled and started to write on her notes. "We could say handsome, but not too handsome."
"Hold it," Shey said as her head swiveled to the door. "Do you hear that?"
"That kind of sounds like Opal," Bolin said, getting up from his chair. "She knows I'm here, but we were gonna meet back at the temple later…"
Bolin opened the door but no one was there. Then he heard Opal call his name.
"Opal? I'm over here!" he called out down the basement hallway.
"Bolin!" Opal answered back, her voice closer. "There has been an accident at the temple!"
Opal found Bolin standing in the doorway of Shey's studio. Shey and her colleagues were now peeking out behind Bolin.
"Damn, she is beautiful…" Lan murmured to Izzi.
Izzi gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Time to give up your dream of breaking up that relationship."
"An accident, is Korra okay?" Bolin asked, dashing out to meet Opal once he could see her.
Opal shook her head. She took a few deep breaths, a bit winded from running around in search of her fiancé. "No, she's fine. Little Rohan is badly hurt. He's at the hospital. We should be there."
Bolin nodded. "Let's go." He turned back to the other women. "I trust your judgment. Let me know what time you want me to come back for the casting auditions on Friday."
"We will," Shey agreed with a weak smile.
When Korra felt like it was safe to leave the girls alone for a few minutes she wheeled herself to the phone room. With a shaky hand, she dialed Asami's office number, which she had smartly written down in the phone list not too long ago.
"Asami Sato's office," Kali said cheerily into the receiver.
"Hi, uh is Asami there?" Korra said, wilting at how meek she sounded.
"Can I ask who's calling?"
Korra cleared her throat, hoping to find some strength. "Korra."
"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry Avatar Korra! I'll patch you right through."
"Korra," Asami breathed. "Sorry about that. I told Kali to screen my calls-"
"Asami something bad happened. Rohan had an accident. He's at the hospital. I'm here at the temple watching Jinora and Ikki. Can you leave work early and see what's going on?"
"Of course. You have Ikki and Jinora, where is Meelo?"
"Bumi took him…."
"I'll go to the hospital right now. I will come to the temple after. You all just hang tight."
"Okay, love you."
"I love you too Korra," Asami said, unable to stop the smile that spread on her face with those words. She hung up and moved to get her bag.
After the call with Asami, Korra began the journey back to the kitchen. Her wrists were a bit sore from her sprint to the courtyard earlier. She mentally reminded herself she would benefit in the long run for the upper body workout she was getting while in this chair.
"Hurry Korra, the show is almost back from the commercial break!" Ikki cried out down the hall.
"Come give me a push then," Korra hollered back. She relaxed in her wheelchair as she heard the thumping of Ikki's bare feet on the wooden floor. Ikki got Korra back into the dining room right as Shiro Shinobi's voice came back on the speakers.
"Welcome back to the show! I just wanted to thank our sponsors again for supporting this broadcast. Now I am going to wrap up the show with some of the listener feedback calls I received yesterday afternoon. Here we go!"
The broadcast went silent for a moment as it switched over to the recorded calls. Korra took a deep breath and held it as she waited for the segment to start. She really wasn't in the mood for any more bad news to happen, but she had to take advantage of this rare opportunity to hear what her peers honestly thought.
"Hi Shiro," an elderly-sounding man started, breaking the long silence.
"Welcome to the show," Shiro replied. "So, what do you think about Avatar Korra and Asami Sato's relationship announcement?"
"Well, I wanted to call in and say what two people do together is nobody's business but theirs. So I don't see why they felt the need to broadcast this information to all of Republic City. Little awkward if I do say so myself."
"So you think maybe they should have just kept it between themselves?"
"I would argue that, but considering who they are, that might have been difficult to hide. Then what, as time went on and these two lovely women never got married, people would start to wonder, wouldn't they? I guess that is the real shame of it, people like them aren't entitled to privacy."
"Public job, public life. Thank you for calling in."
The sound of lines disconnecting clicked over the radio into the room. Korra relaxed a bit into her wheelchair. That conversation wasn't unlike what they discussed with Asami's public relations team. No matter how much they would ruminate on it, they always concluded it would get out somehow and they'd be in the same position, but worse. Plus, the secrecy would have been exhausting. Not that this coming out process wasn't getting old to Korra. All this poking and prodding into their personal lives made her ache for their Spirit World vacation, when it was just them and some spirits. That was the frustrating beauty of spirits, they didn't care about humans.
"Hi Shiro, long time listener, first-time caller," a middle-aged female voice started.
"Thank you for calling in," Shiro replied.
"I just think it's so brave of Avatar Korra and Miss Sato to come forward. I wish more politicians would be honest about their relationships. How many backdoor dealings are going on without us the public any the wiser?"
"Valid point. So no issue with them being both women?"
"No. Some people are just that way and who am I or anyone else to judge. I think it's wonderful that they were able to find each other. I have a step-daughter who can't seem to find a girlfriend herself."
"So this is a bit of a personal issue for you?" Shiro pressed.
"I guess you could say it is, thank you for putting on this broadcast. I hope to hear only good things Shiro."
The line went dead, leaving Shiro's response either off the program or he never did say anything back to the woman. Korra smiled all the same at the woman's words. Would her mother ever get to that level of comfort she wondered?
Jinora shot Korra a thumbs up. Korra nodded and returned the gesture.
Shiro chimed in again. "Alright, next caller, welcome to the show."
"Hi there, this is Tang calling in. I thought it was a publicity stunt when I first read the article, but these girls are serious aren't they?"
"I believe they are sir."
"Hehe, well I don't quite get it, but I hope everyone here has the decency to treat them with respect."
"Agreed, thank you for calling in."
"Hi Shiro Shinobi," a woman's voice said, a bit tentatively.
Korra shifted in her chair, anticipating this to be the call when the tides turned for their support.
"Welcome to our first ever feedback call show."
"Thank you… I do love your show but… I honestly am having a little trouble with the whole thing. I know the Avatar doesn't have to be a chaste monk, our dear
Avatar Aang had a wife and family."
"That's right, for the listeners at home, the Avatar is allowed to marry and have children."
Korra scratched her chin and looked around the room. "Why wouldn't I be? Right?"
Jinora snuck a look at Zhou Rhen. He was looking at Korra with an unreadable expression.
"But isn't that just it, Avatar Aang had a wife and family. What could Avatar Korra and Miss Sato have? The Avatar is a sort of a moral role model, wouldn't you say? I just wonder what kind of example she is setting for the youths of Republic City…"
Ikki jumped up from her seat and slapped the table."What is she talking about? You guys are the best role models!" Ikki turned to Korra. "I want to be a couple just like you and Asami!" Once the words were out Ikki's face turned red. She dared a look at her sister. "I mean like, you know, in how uh, good to each other you both are..."
Ikki slid back down into her seat while the other three watched. Ikki's face quickly turned pink and found a divot on the table in front of her suddenly very interesting. Korra felt her own cheeks flush.
"Hi, Shiro and Republic City," started a very sure and familiar sounding young man. "These two women are so incredibly fierce, proudly coming out the way that they have. They are an inspiration for all the young citizens out there afraid to be themselves. Well now they know, they are not alone!"
"And that was Xaiver…" Korra said slinking down in her seat, again her cheeks a bit pink.
"You seem very passionate about this sir," Shiro said with a nervous laugh.
"I am. They have inspired me and my boyfriend to come out to our families!"
"Well good luck to you," Shiro said as he disconnected the call.
"Hello, this is the police chief Lin Beifong. I just want to remind our citizens that we are still seeking residents with rooms to rent for the displaced families. You can come by the police station, president Raikos office, or the city hall and someone there will take your information."
"And what about Avatar Korra and-" Shiro started but Lin cut him off.
"What about them? Nothing is different, I just hope we get better results in volunteers than you do responses to this infantile question," Lin said curtly before the line went dead."
"There you have it folks and I think that is all I will say on the matter. Have a great evening and take care!" Shiro said as his mic clicked off and the closing music on the show began to play.
"Pretty gutless to not say anything on the matter himself," Zhou Rhen said, breaking the group silence.
"I think he was hoping for some guidance on the issue for himself but didn't get the answer he was looking for," Korra replied.
Zhou Rhen took off his glasses and started to rub at the lenses with his robe sleeve.
"It was a bit of a mixed bag of responses."
"I'm curious what didn't make the cut. Xaiver said he had a bunch of colleagues phone in unless that was just a way to extort signed copies of the magazine to resell…" Korra said with a grumble towards the end.
"I think it's encouraging. Anything they said with a negative leaning you two couldn't overcome. It sounds like people mostly just don't understand. I think with time they will," Jinora said matter of factly.
Korra nodded. "It was sweet of Lin to call in."
"Yeah, I think the Police Chief implied crossing you is crossing her," Zhou Rhen said hesitantly. "I've heard some tales about her and I'm not even from here.
"I don't want people to be threatened into acceptance."
Zhou Rhen tilted his head curiously at Korra. "What do you want?"
"To never have another public discussion about my relationship ever again."
Zhou Rhen snorted. "I'm sorry Avatar Korra, but I think that is highly unlikely.
This could very well be a constant creator of strife in your life. Even if the relationship ends, don't foresee people forgetting this."
"Are you sure you're a professional counselor?" Korra asked, narrowing her eyes into a scowl at Zhou Rhen. "You are never comforting."
Bolin and Opal didn't recognise anyone they knew in the waiting area of the hospital. They had hoped maybe Korra or Lin would have been there to let them know what happened, but after an hour they were starting to worry about everyone.
"Sorry, maybe I didn't need to rush you over here…" said Opal.
"Don't be sorry. I still would have come. Sometimes even though there's nothing
you can do, you just need to be there."
Opal took Bolin's hand. "Thank you."
"Hey, I think I know that guy," Bolin murmured, his eyes following a large man around a corner. "Uh, Shaaa-mmm-yuuune?" He called out getting up from his seat to follow after the man.
Bolin turned the corner to find Jon Yuen. Bolin grinned awkwardly. "Hi."
"You're the Avatar's friend."
"Yeah, Bolin," he said sticking out his hand. "Remind me of your name?"
"Jon Yeun."
Bolin snapped his free hand. "That's right."
"Why are you here, is the Avatar okay?"
"Yeah she's fine, but someone we know is seriously hurt. The little boy from Air Temple Island. Do you know what's going on with him by any chance?"
"I was going there now."
"Oh, sorry. Please go, they must need you."
"I'm just bringing some supplies, but I will brief you on what I can when I get back."
"Thank you," Bolin said with a slight bow.
When Bolin turned the corner to go back to the waiting room, he saw Opal was no longer alone. Shey and Izzi were there with a vase of flowers.
"Oh, hi guys."
Shey took the flowers from Izzi and passed them to Bolin. "We won't stay long, we just wanted to send our condolences to you and the family."
"Aww thanks, guys," Bolin accepted the vase. As he took them he saw a familiar person walking towards them over Shey's shoulder. He smiled, recognizing it to be Asami, but then as Shey came back into focus his face fell.
Opal rose from her seat. "Shit, it's Asami," she murmured.
Asami stopped in her tracks as she saw Bolin, Opal, Shey, and a woman she didn't recognize stare her down in the lobby. She let her work bag fall off her shoulder and held it limply by her side.
"Well this is a bit unexpected," Asami muttered awkwardly. "It's been a while, Shey."
"It has." Shey casually rested a hand on her hip.
Asami turned her gaze to Bolin and Opal. "Rohan, is he..?" she trailed off.
"He's alive, we've at least been able to glean that information," Opal replied.
"I saw one of the nurses that took care of Korra, he's going to give us an update here in a bit," Bolin added.
A long silence fell over the group. All eyes darted back and forth between Asami and Shey, who broke it with the question; "Since it'll be a minute, up for a little walk?"
"Yeah, let's do that," Asami agreed. Feeling a relief from the tension building.
Bolin, Opal, and Izzi watched them leave, tracking them until they were completely out of sight.
"This okay?" Opal asked as she watched.
"Yeah, they just need a little closure," Bolin assured, taking a seat and letting his body finally relax again.
Izzi snorted. "You mean Shey does."
"Whatever it takes for me to not have to worry about accidentally mentioning Korra and Asami around her," Bolin muttered. Opal jabbed an elbow into his side as she took the seat next to him. "Seriously, do you know how hard that is? I'm like, really involved with those two."
Shey and Asami walked around to the back of the hospital. There was a small outdoor area where patients or families could get a little sun. Just a small paved loop around a water fountain. A few spirits were buzzing around the trickling water.
Spirits at a hospital gave Asami a bit of an uneasy feeling, but not as bad as the silence still lingering between her and Shey as they walked. She was desperate for Shey to speak first, but it was becoming clear that it wasn't going to happen.
"I took a look at your script, I think it's going to be a groundbreaking mover."
"I guess we'll see," Shey said with a shrug, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. "There's a part in there for you, if you want it. The femme fatal character at the beginning, with the daddy issues."
Asami pursed her lips. "I prefer to play that part behind the scenes."
"I can't say you weren't a little bit of an influence for the character. I wrote this post-breakup. You know, it always disappointed me that I couldn't get you in front of a camera. That's never happened to me before."
"Sorry to disappoint," Asami said, trying to keep the annoyance she was starting to feel out her voice.
The pair had come to the end of the loop. For a moment they both hesitated, but then Shey took a few steps ahead to start another orbit around the fountain.
"So, Avatar Korra, huh?"
Asami sighed, that was not much for her to work with. She followed behind Shey but didn't rush to keep pace with her.
Shey continued, looking ahead. "Which I mean, I get it. I really do. She's the fricken Avatar, but she didn't get back to Republic City until the shit went down with Kuvira. I've been trying to do the math here, but it's not adding up…"
"I did leave you for her," Asami blurted out, surprising herself. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, to steel herself for Shey's response.
Shey stopped and looked back at Asami. "But she wasn't in the city right, she was still recovering in the south?"
"I couldn't get over her. I'm sorry Shey," Asami said, catching up to her.
Shey grabbed at her forehead. "Then the whole time? You were just using me while you waited?"
"No…" Asami started. She thought back to the time she renounced her feelings for Korra. The determination she had to live like Korra wasn't coming back, because at that time it was looking like she never was going to. "I had sincerely put her out of my mind when we dated. Then I got a letter from her out of the blue and it just all came back. It was awful."
"Why didn't you tell me this then?" Shey barked.
"How could I tell you that I was in love with someone else, who I didn't even know loved me back or would ever come back? I was ashamed. What a fool I was being. Throwing away a great relationship for what?"
Shey clicked her tongue. "Apparently for a relationship with the one you always wanted."
"I'm so sorry," Asami said, with the weight of her decision from long ago slumping shoulders.
"You know I thought you got cold feet about coming out?" Shey asked, shaking her head. "Maybe your business partners pressured you to end it. Stupid stuff I envisioned we could overcome…"
Asami could only give Shey a sympathetic look.
"Shoulda saw it coming. Despite putting her out of your mind, you still talked about Avatar Korra a lot," Shey said, smoothing back her greased hair.
Asami blushed.
"Plus she's a babe. Built like a fricken brick outhouse."
"Thank you for understanding…" Asami said with a slight bow.
"Yeah," Shey sighed. "This doesn't mean I want to double date with you two or anything like that. Far from it. I told Bolin to leave the Avatar at home when he comes by."
"Don't worry, she's got more important things to do, and might even be out of the city for a stretch soon."
Shey nodded.
"I am looking forward to this mover you're making. This kind of love story will be very impactful. Bolin was supposed to be working for me, but I'm happy to let you have him."
"My consolation prize," Shey said with a soft chuckle. "Shall we head back?
Maybe they got some news on what happened to that kid."
Asami gave her a nod. She had almost forgotten why she had come to the hospital in the first place. "I hope he will be alright."
They returned to the lobby to find Opal, Bolin, and Izzi speaking with Jon Yuen. Asami held the door open behind her for Shey, but she was frozen in her spot. Asami looked back to the group to see what Shey could be so fixated on but found no answers.
"Who is that?" Shey asked, suddenly bursting from her paralysis.
"Uh, I met him the other day here, but I don't remember his name…"
Shey brushed past Asami and charged up to Jon Yuen. "Have you ever considered acting?"
The large man recoiled slightly, as Shey leaned into his personal space.
"Oh, Jon Yuen, this is Shey, she's the director and producer of the mover I'm going to be starring in," Bolin offered, hoping to make things less awkward.
Shey shot a hand to Jon Yuen. He slowly took it in his much larger hand and gave hers a few shakes.
"I'm serious. Have you considered acting? You are exactly what I am looking for!"
Shey said, turning to Izzi. "Wouldn't he be a perfect Lao Gong?"
Izzi cocked her head. "But he's so much bigger than Bolin."
"I think it's perfect. His dark brooding features would contrast beautifully to
Bolin's more bright bubbly personality."
Jon Yuen took a few steps back. "I'm a nurse, not an actor."
"You don't have to quit your day job-" Shey started, but was interrupted by Izzi pulling on her coat sleeve.
"Why don't we give him our card and then follow up with him later. Let them deal with the emergency at hand," Izzi suggested, pulling Shey a few steps away.
Shey gave a nod and smoothed back her hair. "You're right, now is not the time."
She pulled a card from her pocket and held it out to Jon Yuen.
He stared at the card for a few seconds, before Bolin grabbed it from Shey and then tucked it into the breast pocket of Jon Yuen's scrubs.
"Okay, we'll go. I hope everything turns out okay," Shey said, turning towards the door. Izzi was already in front of it and held it open for Shey to leave.
"Was it her lack of boundaries that ended the relationship?" Opal asked with a smirk. Her face then turned serious. "Jon Yuen just briefed us, it's not good Asami."
The sun had reached its peak for the day as Meelo and Bumi coasted over Republic
City. Their silhouettes shadows could be seen sailing on the many high rise roofs.
The adrenaline rush of being told they need to leave right away had worn off and now Meelo's brain was able to remember why they were on the run. "Uncle Bumi, can't you tell me where we're going?" Meelo asked in an attempt to distract himself again.
"To be honest, I haven't quite decided that… we need a place to bunker for the night and then maybe it will come to me in the morning."
"You mean we're not going home tomorrow?" Meelo pressed.
Bumi turned to his nephew and shot him a surprised look. "You want to go back there?"
"Yes, I need to know if Rohan is okay."
"You don't need to go home to find that out. Trust me, kid, you are in a world of trouble with your parents, even if Rohan just broke a leg. But if…" Bumi lowered his head
"I didn't kill him. It was an accident, but I couldn't have killed him."
"Let's hope that's true."
Bumi looked at the city below them; they were almost to Dragon Flats. Bumi couldn't help but grin, remembering there was a small United Forces base right where the river met the Yue Bay. Bumi pointed to their target.
"I know where we can spend the night.
Bumi led Meelo down to land on the docks of the naval base, which was bustling with activity. It seemed a ship must have recently docked at one of the five piers. Sailors filed out one side of a ship, while dock workers hustled to the cargo hold. Bumi and Meelo navigated their way through the crowd to get to the main office building.
Out front it had a small security booth with a lowered gate. The sentry had a magazine open in front of his face, obscuring it.
Bumi cleared his throat before speaking. "Excuse me, I need to speak with the fleet admiral."
The magazine lowered, to reveal a fairly young looking petty officer. He eyed the pair and put down his magazine. "Airbenders, you're not here to preach about peace and harmony, are you?"
Bumi scrunched his face. "This is kind of pressing, so if you could just buzz the admiral…"
"I'm going to need a good reason to disturb my very busy boss. By the looks of you two, I can't imagine it's going to be worth it."
"Listen here petty officer-" Bumi started, slapping his hand on one of the many glass windows of the security box. He then braced himself for a peek at the young man's name badge on his chest. "Petty Officer Tsing, I'm retired Admiral Bumi, of the United Republic Armed Forces. I practically founded this port! Now radio in and let me speak to your superior!"
"There has never been an airbending admiral-"
"Call him before I fly you up to the top of the flagpole and hang you by your
government-issued under-garments!"
The young officer scowled and tossed his magazine aside. "Fine," he muttered swiping the radio receiver and bringing it to his mouth. "Admiral Kang, uh there is ah-really old airbender and a pretty young airbender here to see you. Can I let them in? I think he said Bumi. Okay, I will."
Asami took her time walking up the steps to the Air Temple grounds from the docks. Bolin and Opal agreed to stay behind and be the gofers of information back to the temple. Asami checked her watch, it was just a little after five.
The courtyard, which was usually busy with the final activities of the airbending trainees before dinner, was empty save for a few acolytes sweeping away sand. A daily task for an island, as it was always blowing onto the stone.
Asami crossed the courtyard and decided to head for the dining room since that was usually where everyone convened in the evening, mealtime or not. She slid open the door and saw she was correct in her assumption. Korra, Ikki, Jinora and
Zhou Rhen were all sitting around the table, glumly coloring on parchment. Korra and Ikki on one side, Jinora and Zhou Rhen on the other.
"Hi…" was all Asami could think of to say as she entered.
They all looked up, Korra was able to muster a smile. "Asami."
Asami moved around the table to take a seat beside Ikki. "I just came from the hospital…"
"Did you see Rohan?" Jinora asked.
"And mom and dad?" Ikki said right after.
"I didn't see your brother, but I was able to speak with your father, he said I could tell you what's going on."
The girls leaned in, eyes wide with concern.
"Rohan is alive, but very badly hurt. The fall crushed his pelvis and lower spine. The doctors believe the injury has paralyzed him from the waist down."
"What does that mean?" Ikki asked, looking around the table.
"That means he can't walk or feel below his waist. That means Meelo broke him." Jinora said coldly.
Korra winced. "Jinora, you shouldn't say that…"
Jinora shot up from her seat at the table. "There's no nice way to put it! I'm going to go find Meelo and-"
"No!" Korra yelled, pounding her fist on the table. "Sit back down."
"What? You're going to make me? You can't because you're in-" Jinora started but stopped herself as she saw tears welling up in Korra's eyes. Ashamed, she covered her face with hands and dropped back down to the floor, and let out a sob.
Korra reached a hand out across the table towards Jinora. "It's going to be okay."
Jinora shook her head, still covered by her hands as she slumped down further.
"Jinora…" Korra whispered.
Jinora pulled herself back up from the floor and quickly left the room. As she left, she turned her face away from the group.
"Jinora!" Ikki cried out.
Zhou Rhen looked to Korra and started to ease up from the table. "Should I go after her? Make sure she doesn't leave?"
Korra shook her head. "She won't."
Zhou Rhen settled back into his seat. "This is awful… is there nothing I can do?"
Korra shrugged and fixed her eyes on the table.
Asami turned to Ikki beside her. The young girl's head was bowed, shoulders slumped. "So what are you making?"
Ikki let out a long sigh. "We were making get-well cards… but now…"
"Now your little brother needs them more than ever. Do you have more parchment? I would like to make one too."
Ikki smiled and slid a blank sheet over to Asami. Followed by some wax crayons.
"You should draw him a flying lemur, they're his favorite."
"Hmm, I don't know if I can draw one of those, but I can draw a Satomobile."
"Ooo! You draw that, then I'll draw a flying lemur driving it!"
"Great idea," Asami said as she dared a look over to Korra. She was looking down at her own paper, but she could see Korra was a million miles away.
"It should probably be hot pink," Ikki said, passing that color crayon over.
"Of course, what else would flying lemurs drive?"
Korra watched from the bed as Ikki and Asami laid out Ikki's bedroll on the floor of her room.
"Thank you for letting me stay with you tonight…" Ikki said, followed by a heavy sigh.
"Of course," Asami replied, as she gave the young girl's pillow a few swats to fluff it. "You can sleep here as many nights as you need to." Asami snuck a look to Korra as she spoke. Korra didn't look thrilled but gave a nod back.
A soft knock at the door caught all their attention. Ikki jumped up and slid it open. Jinora was on the other side, her bedroll tucked under her arms.
"Can I sleep with you guys too?" she asked, keeping her eyes low.
Asami waved her in. "Come on in, there is plenty of room next to Ikki."
Ikki followed Jinora back into the room, then plopped down on her bedroll. "I wonder where Meelo is sleeping tonight…" Ikki said aloud, settling down in her bed.
Jinora shot her sister a look as she finished setting up her own spot for the night.
She was tempted to make a snide remark about not caring where Meelo slept, but she thought better of it. Already she had said too much without thinking.
Jinora dared a look over at Korra. She was lying down now, eyes locked on the ceiling.
"I'm turning off the light now," Asami warned before clicking it off.
Korra's image was temporarily gone but quickly returned in a muted form to Jinora as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Her cruel words came back to her, and she sharply rolled away from looking at Korra.
"Good night everyone, I love you," Ikki whispered to the group.
Ikki smiled as she heard the other three murmur back her tidings.
Meelo started up at the ceiling from his bed on the top bunk, which was only about a foot from his face. He and Bumi were given an empty bunk among the seamen who were currently on active duty. The young men were already snoring away, conked out from a full day of work.
"Uncle Bumi, you really don't think I can go home tomorrow?" Meelo whispered.
Bumi thought for a moment before answering. "Let me go see how things are tomorrow at the temple and we can take it from there. That sound okay to you?"
"I guess. What will I do?"
"Well they'll probably have you swabbing the deck or peeling potatoes, new recruit type things, to earn your keep."
"Great," Meelo moaned.
"Eh, it won't be so bad. Go to sleep."
Bumi laid awake, waiting until he heard the familiar sound of Meelo's snoring. It was particularly wet, the boy usually had snot bubbling from his nostrils. Bumi climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and confirmed Meelo was out. He then crept out of the barracks and took off into the night sky.
He knew it was going to be a long flight and a long night, but he couldn't risk
Meelo following him back home. Bumi could see it all playing out; Meelo rushing to his parents trying to apologize and explain, and it all just going to shit. Bumi did not want to have Meelo hear something that couldn't be taken back.
Tenzin is a reasonable man, but so was their father. Bumi still got a hitch in his stomach when he thought about his late father's face looking down at him the time he broke Tenzin's arm.
"He is my future!"
Bumi could still hear Aang's voice. And his mother, then scolding Aang for saying it.
But words like that, in a rage like that. They're the truth, aren't they? Maybe not the whole truth, but something deep and painful.
That is why Bumi needed to meditate on Meelo's behalf for a while. To protect the boy and Tenzin from really hurting each other.
The temple came into vision, illuminated by the almost full moon. So lost in thought or perhaps so tired, he didn't recall the flight there. Bumi landed quietly outside the main building, then crept inside. It was completely dark. Everyone had gone to bed. Bumi checked Tenzin and Pema's room first and it was empty. The sinking feeling he had all day got worse. He moved to where their kids usually slept. No Ikki or Jinora.
"Who can I talk to that would know something… Korra, she'd probably have gotten left behind!" Bumi said to himself, snapping his fingers as it dawned on him. Korra's place was near the dorms, but still a separate bedroom. Avatar privileges.
He located the room and hesitated for a moment. He had no qualms flinging the door open on his family members, but it would probably best if he knocked. He made a soft wrapping noise on the wooden door, but no one answered. Bumi slid open the door enough to poke his face through.
"Korra… are you awake or even in here?"
"Bumi?" Asami's voice quietly answered back.
Bumi flinched with surprise at her voice. "I'm sorry, I uh didn't mean to…"
As he stammered Asami met him at the door and he stopped.
"The girls are sleeping with us," Asami stated quietly. "Do you have news?"
"No, I was hoping you did, can you get Korra up?"
Asami nodded and slid the door closed. She crept back to the bed and leaned down to the crook of Korra's neck. Warm there, Asami couldn't help but give Korra a nuzzle before whispering. "You need to wake up. Bumi is here."
"Mmhmm?" Korra murmured sleepily.
Asami kissed her cheek. "C'mon, you need to get up quietly."
"Kay…" Korra rose to a seated position in the bed. Asami sat down next to her and let Korra drape an arm around her shoulder. Then together they rocked back and rose off the bed, in a swift movement they had almost mastered. Then slowly walked Korra to the door.
"Bumi," Korra started once they found him in the hallway.
"How bad is it? Is Rohan…"
"He's not dead, Bumi," Korra quickly replied. She then turned to Asami, who was still acting as her crutch. "But…"
Asami took over. "The doctors are fairly certain he is paralyzed. They plan to run some tests tomorrow if he is stable enough."
Bumi slumped against the wall. "Oh no…"
"I'm going to the hospital tomorrow, you can come with me if you'd like," Asami offered.
Bumi shook his head. "He's a good boy! A talented bender. He just needs structure to harness all that energy and cultivate his potential. I needed it too when I was his age."
"You're talking about Meelo, right?" Korra asked.
"I'm… I'm going to take him to a place where he can get that."
"What are we supposed to tell Tenzin and Pema?" Korra asked.
"Whoa, whoa," Asami started, but Korra began to slip.
"Lean me on the wall," Korra offered as she held out a hand towards it. Asami made sure Korra was firmly supported before letting go. She then took a step towards Bumi.
"I don't think you should take Meelo away without their consent."
"They won't give it to me if I ask and I don't see how Meelo can grow up here constantly reminded of his mistake."
Asami looked back to Korra with pleading eyes. Korra just shook her head in response.
"You don't have to tell Tenzin about this conversation. I'll leave a note. Pretend like we never spoke. You slept through the night you never saw me, or the note. He'll find it when he comes home."
"I'll just tell him what you told me this afternoon," Korra offered.
Bumi nodded and started to back away down the hall. "I should go get started on that note, it's going to be a long ride back."
Asami took another step forward. "Wait, if you're going to take Meelo away, you should at least take some of his things."
"Smart."
"I'll pack them, you get started on the note."
Bumi gave another nod and then lumbered down the dark hallway, quickly out of the girl's sight.
"Want help packing?"
"No, I'm sure I can pick out a few personal items, you go back to bed." Asami gave her a peck on the cheek and headed in the opposite direction of Bumi.
"Asami?"
She turned at her name.
"Can you help me back to bed?"
To be continued